Hotshot new protégé Paul Foster has been found guilty of espionage and
sentenced to death. SHADO has sprung a leak with information privy only
to Foster nearly becoming public. Is Foster all wet?
I don't know much about military tribunals but I do know a guy being
railroaded when I see one. An investigation eventually clears Foster,
revealing the leak is the result of an industrial spy prying on
Harlington-Straker's film orperations, and stumbling onto military
secrets. Not knowing what to do with those secrets, the spy sells the
the press thus setting in motion the suspicions pointing to Straker's
golden boy.
So why is Foster set to be executed? Because the trial and verdict
came before the investigation! Therein lies the fundamental problem I
have with this episode. I just can't buy into it. I can almost believe
that the communications dilemma in The Dalotek Affair would be so
upsetting that it would make everyone find a meteor to be a distracting
nuisance rather than looking into it, but this is more than I can
suspend disbelief for.
Just how much does Henderson hate Straker, anyway? We've seen
before that he's a fair man, even regarding his former friend and now
nemesis. Would he kill Straker's fast-rising recruit for revenge? Is
he so hot to pursue an execution without ascertaining the facts? "It's
gonna take positive proof of innocence to convince me!", he barks. Yet
it did not take positive proof of guilt for him to sentence a man
to death. As a matter of security, it would be prudent to keep a
traitor alive long enough to discover how far the damage goes and where
it may lead. I guess Foster shouldn't have yelled at him the first time
they met. That's one hell of a bad first impression to leave that
strong a grudge.
What about Straker? He too allows an investigation to be an
afterthought. Worse, apparently he would not have conducted one at all
if not for a lead from one of the directors affected by a leaked script
that had been handled by Foster.
Freeman? He'd be the obvious advocate for the defense, but he also
is an afterthought in this outing, following Straker's lead and keeping
his own counsel.
Aaaaaah, but Doctor Jackson has returned! Vladek Sheybal always
light up the screen even as he leaves an oily film on it. What about
Jackson? Well, it' s a delightful performance as Jackson takes up the
job of prosecuting the case against Foster. He plays true to
expectations for being slippery, alright, but I'm still not sure it
makes sense. As a psychological analyst for SHADO, I have to wonder at
his motive. Seems to me he'd be as interested ass Straker to learn the
truth rather than leap to blatantly unsupported conclusions - not out of
concern but for his own fascination. Putting it plainly, I just don't
get him here. none of the characters quite ring true, nor the plot. As
it was written by Tony Barwick, the best writer on the series and the
guy who knows these people best, that's disappointing.
I'm being harsh. Churlish, even. The hour has some joy in it. The
pace is brisk, the twists keep us off balance, and the personal
exchanges are a delight. As always there's a genuine spark between
Henderson nd Straker. Everyone puts in an edgy performance, and Sheybal
keeps the tribunal taut.
There is a detail of Foster's rise that is sharp, and one I would
never have thought of: he is now a major player in the life of their
cover operation, a movie producer! That's clever writing. I
wish the substance had been as clever, expanding on the characters or
exploring a theme...or at least making me believe what I was seeing.
This episode has always bugged me for it's illogic, and now that I'm
taking a more serious look at the series overall it bugs me just a
little more for being filler. It's fun but I can't give it more than 6 recording ballpoint pens from Sharper Image..
No comments:
Post a Comment